Gas lighter



Jan. 30, 1962 H. ToDTENHFER GAS LIGHTER Filed Aug. 10, 1959 tetti Bll Patented Jan. 30, 1962 3,018,648 GAS LIGHTER Horst Todtenhfer, Augsburg, Germany, assigner to Augusta-Zander Feuerzeugfabrik Mayer d: Co., Augsburg, Germany, a firm Filed Aug. lll, 1959, Ser. No. 832,534 Claims priority, application Germany Aug. 8, 1958 6 Claims. (Cl. (sT-7.1)

This invention relates to a gas lighter having a potshaped valve housing inserted into its fuel container, an adjusting ring which can be screwed intothis pot-shaped housing, a throttle disc composed of porous materim and the pressure of which is adjustable by means of the adjusting ring, and a burner nozzle provided at its lower end with Valve sealing means and mounted so as to be axially slidable in the adjusting ring. In a known gas lighter of this construction, the screw `adjusting ring is supported on a valve seating which is pressed not only against the throttle disc but, with the aid of a lower annular sealing rim, is also pressed axially against a sealing ring arranged in the lower part of the pot shaped housing. This construction has the disadvantage that, when the ilarne height is adjusted by means of the adjusting ring, not only does 4the pressure on the throttle disc vary, but the pressure on the sealing means is also varied at the same time. Moreover, when the `adjusting ring is loosened overmuch, the fuel present in the tank is liable to escape, so that a very rapid undesirable emptying of the same is thereby brought about.

In this previously known construction, the burner nozzle is urged by the pressure of a spring so that the sealing means provided on its lower end presses against the valve seating with the result that this pressure is also transmitted to the throttle disc. It the gas lighter is out or use for a relatively long period, this resilient pressure acts prejudically on the burner nozzle, that is to say the throttle disc is somewhat compressed by the prolonged action of the spring pressure, so that the flame, which was initially correctly adjusted, when ignited after the lighter has been out of use for a comparatively long time, burns at a substantially lower height, with the result that frequent readjustment of the llame is necessary.

Since, in the previously known construction, the valve seating which is axially adjustable in the valve housing presses both upon the throttle disc and also upon the sealing means, adjustment of the throttle disc pressure results in a simultaneous alteration of the sealing pressure, which in turn may give rise to the danger of the valve becoming inadequately sealed.

This fault of the known gas lighter is removed b-y the present invention. The gas lighter, which is of the character `already referred to, has, according to the present invention, the following features in combination:

A hollow cylinder which projects upwardly from the base of the pot-shaped or outer valve housing and in the outer end of which is arranged at least one throttle disc; a hollow cylindrical extension provided on the adjusting ring or inner housing, which extension has the same external diameter as the hollow cylinder and is adapted to press against the throttle disc by means of the bottom external surface of its lower end part, this lower end part being lformed with an axial bore and having a valve seating formed on its upper internal surface; and a sealing sleeve which surrounds the hollow cylinder and the hollow cylindrical extension.

Whereas, in the previously known gas lighter, an axially pressed sealing ring was provided, the pressure on which constantly varied as the adjusting ring was screwed in or out, in the construction according to the present invention a sealing sleeve is provided which produces a radial pressure and allows axial displacement of the adjusting ring without altering the sealing pressure. When adjusting the flame height by means of the adjusting ring, only the pressure against the throttle disc alters. The sealing is thus completely unaffected. The new construction furthermore has the advantage tha-t the valve seating is arranged on the adjusting ring and thus the pressure exerted by the burner nozzle upon the valve seating via the sealing means cannot be transmitted to the throttle disc and consequently the flame height remains unaltered after each adjustment.

The details -of the invention are more fully explained below as applied to the construetional embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

ln the drawing, a valve housing with a burner nozzle and valve is shown in cross section.

A pot-shaped outer housing 2 having an open top is inserted into a fuel container 1 and is carried by the top wall thereof. The outer housing 2 is secured and sealed to the top wall of container 1 by means of a soldered joint 3. A wick 4 projects into a corresponding bore 5 in the valve housing. As shown in the drawing, a hollow cylinder 6 is provided which projects upwardly from the base of the outer housing 2 and has at least one throttle disc on its upper end. Thus, the outer housing 2 has an outer bottom wall portion 2a, an inner bottom wall portion 2b, and an annular wall portion 2c forming with the inner bottom wall portion 2b the hollow cylinder 6. ln the constructional embodiment illustrated, two separate throttle discs 8 are provided, which are of equal size and are separated by means of a third disc 7 of metal or synthetic plastic material. The two throttle discs 8 are made of porous resilient material. An adjusting ring 10 forms an inner housing which is screwed into the potshaped outer valve housing 2 by means of a screw thread 9 and has a hollow cylindrical extension 11 which is of the same external diameter as the hollow cylinder 6. Thus, the inner housing `1t) has an outer bottom wall portion lha, an inner bottom wall portion 12, and an annular wall por-tion 10b which forms with the inner bottom wall portion 12 the hollow cylinder 11. The lower inner bottom wall portion 12 of inner housing 10 is formed with an axial bore or opening 13. It will be noted that the inner bottom wall portion 12 of inner housing 10 is located nearer to the inner bottom lwall portion 2b of outer housing 2 than the outer bottom wall portion lila of inner housing 10. The bottom surface of inner bottom wall portion 12 serves as a pressure surface for the throttle disc or discs 8 and on the inside of the inner bottom -wall portion 12 is formed a valve seating `14 which cooperates -with a sealing disc 15 to form a valve means therewith. This sealing disc 15 is secured in the lower end of a burner nozzle 16. Within the hollow cylindrical extension 11, there is arranged a compression spring 17 which urges the burner nozzle 16 upward and so lifts `the sealing disc 15 oit the valve seating `1li. On an upper cylindrical extension 18 of the adjusting ring 16 there is secured, for example as a press lit, an annular cap 19 which engages over a .ledge 20 on the burner nozzle and serves as a stop means for the latter to limit its upward movement under the action of the spring 17.

There is also provided an annular sealing member in the form of a sealing sleeve 21 composed of rubber or a like flexible and resilient synthetic material, which sleeve surrounds the hollow cylinder 6 and the hollow cylindrical extension 11 engaging the annular wall portions 2c and llib. This sealing sleeve 21, which is held under radial pressure against the cylindrical parts 6 and 11, permits axial sliding movement of the inner housing 1b in the pot-shaped outer housing 2 without thereby altering the sealing pressure or effecting the reliability of the Seal. The threaded connection 9 forms an adjusting means enabling the axial position of inner housing 10 to be adjusted with respect to outer housing 2 so that the distance between the inner bottom wall portions 12 and 2b may be adjusted. In order to enable the height of the flame to be adjusted the adjusting ring or inner housing is screwed into the pot-type casing or outer housing 2 and thus causes a suitable pressure to be exerted between the lower end part or inner bottom wall portion 12 of inner housing 10 and the upper end of the cylinder 6 formed by inner bottom wall portion 2b of outer housing 2. Since the lower end part 12, which carries the valve seating 14, is rigid with the adjusting ring 1G, and may even be formed integrally therewith, the pressure of the sealing disc 15 acts only upon the valve seating 14, i.e. it does not act upon the throttle discs 8, so that the height of the flame is thus uninuenced by the pressure acting on the valve seating 14. On the burner nozzle is 'formed a ledge 22 against which acts a leaf spring (not shown) which, when the lighter is not in use, presses the burner nozzle 16 downward against the pressure of the spring 17 and consequently also presses the sealing disc 1S against the valve seating 14.

The arrangement described above consisting of two throttle discs 8 separated by a metal or synthetic plastic plate 7 has the advantage that the fuel Awhich reaches the lower throttle disc through the bore or opening 23 must rst ow outwardly through the intermediate separating disc 7 and then radially inward through the two separated discs arranged on each side of the separating disc 7 to the bore or opening 13. ln this manner, a relatively long path is provided for the fuel through the throttle member and consequently a favourable and constant gasication of the fuel stored under pressure in the container 1 is achieved.

I claim:

1. In a gas lighter, in combination, an outer housing adapted to be carried by the top Wall of a fuel container, said outer housing having an open top and having an outer bottom wall portion, an inner bottom wall portion located nearer to said open top than said outer bottom wall portion, and an annular wall portion extending between and interconnecting said outer and inner bottom wall portions, said inner bottom wall portion of said outer housing being formed with an opening passing therethrough; an inner housing located at least in part within said outer housing and having also an outer bottom wall portion and an inner bottom wall portion, the latter being located nearer to said inner bottom wall portion of said outer housing than said outer bottom wall portion of said inner housing, and said inner housing having also an annular Wall portion extending between t and interconnecting said outer and inner bottom wall portions of said inner housing, said inner bottom wall portion of said inner housing being located over and adjacent said inner bottom wall portion of said outer housing and also being formed with an opening passing therethrough; at least one throttle disc located between said inner bottom wall portions of said housings and extending across said openings thereof; means cooperating with said housings for adjusting the distance between said inner bottom `wall portions thereof so as to regulate the compression of said throttle disc between said inner bottom wall portions; an annular sealing member surrounding and fluid-tightly engaging said annular bottom wall portions of said housings and extending across the space between said inner bottom wall portions thereof for preventing fuel from escaping from said space irrespective of the adjusted position of said inner bottom wall portions relative to each other; and valve means in said inner housing for opening and closing said opening of said inner bottom wall portion of said inner housing.

2. In a gas lighter as recited in claim l, said means cooperating with said housings for adjusting the distance between said inner bottom wall portions thereof being formed by a threaded connection between said housings.

3. In a gas lighter, in combination, an outer housing adapted to be carried by the top wall of a fuel container, said outer housing having an open top and having an outer bottom wall portion and an inner bottom wall portion located nearer to said open top than said outer bottom wall portion, said inner bottom wall portion being formed with an opening passing therethrough and said outer housing having an annular wall portion extending between and interconnecting said outer and inner bottom wall portions threof; an inner housing located at least in part within said outer housing and having also an outer' bottom wall portion and an inner bottom wall portion, the latter being located nearer to said inner bottom wall portion of said outer housing than said outer bottom wall portion of said inner housing, said inner bottom wall portion of said inner housing also being formed with an opening passing therethrough and being located over and adjacent said inner bottom wall portion of said outer housing, and said inner housing also having an annular wall portion extending between and interconnecting said outer and inner bot-tom wall portions thereof; a pair of throttle discs located between said inner Ibottom wall portions of said housings and respectively engaging said inner bottom wall portions thereof; a third disc located between said throttle discs; means cooperating with said housings for adjusting the distance between said inner bottom wall portions thereof so as to regulate the compression of said throttle discs between said inner bottom wall portions, said discs respectively extending across the openings of said inner bottom wall portions; an annular sealing member surrounding and fluid-tightly engaging said annular wall portions and extending across the space between said inner bottom wall portions to prevent fuel from escaping from the latter space irrespective of the adjusted position of said inner bottom Wall portions relative to each other; and valve means in said inner housing yfor opening and closing said opening of said inner bottom wall portion of said inner housing.

4. In a gas lighter as recited in claim 3, said third disc being made of metal.

5. In a gas lighter as recited in claim 3, said third disc being made of a synthetic plastic material.

6. In a gas lighter as recited in claim l, said valve means being movable in said inner housing toward and away from said inner bottom wall portion thereof, and stop means carried by said inner housing and cooperating with said valve means for limiting movement thereof away from said inner bottom wall portion of said inner housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,205 Fortin Apr. 13, 1954 2,892,251 Felt June 30, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,171,044 France Sept. 29, 1958 

